Crystals
Introduction The discovery of Crystal Technology has proved to be a great benefit to the advancement of human computing. Crystal technology forms the backbone of most advanced extra-terrestrial computing and control technologies, ranging from the controls of Goa'uld ships to the Stargate itself. Over the course of the UKGC and SEF exploration of the Galaxy, multiple different forms of Crystal technology have been discovered. Additionally, Crystal technology has been successfully reverse engineered on Earth and incorporated into modern computing devices. Details Control Crystals appear in a variety of shapes and designs. Most often, crystals are transparent or translucent in opacity, and are varied in colour. They function through several different methods, all of which are based around the principle of 3-dimensional storage. This is often via a combination of Holographic (Optical) storage and Molecular circuitry principles. Holographic Storage When a Crystal is inserted into a device capable of interacting with it, a series of lights and lasers are shone through the base and sides of the Crystal. As the light passes through the crystal, it interacts with the data that has been stored optically. The change in the light as it reaches the sensor on the other side of the crystal is then read by the system. Molecular circuitry As a crystal is grow, it is effected by a series of electromagnetic fields, which cause the crystals to grow in specific molecular patterns. These patterns are the crystalline form of a circuit board, with integrated components. Changes in density and molecular composition allow for the circuitry to work as desired, but at a much smaller scale. A crystal reader introduces electrical current and additional magnetic fields, which allow the crystal to function fully as a complete circuit. As the current moves through the crystal, it interacts with the crystalline pathways and molecular circuitry. Additionally, the crystal interacts with the magnetic fields to effect further changes in the current. This can also cause changes in the optical storage of the crystal, effecting the data that is being transmitted. Properties Depending on the exact chemical composition of the crystal in question, and the efficiency of the control system that it is connected to. Additionally, due to the variability of how a crystal is able to handle data processing, theoretically a crystal can act as a single processor unit, or a system comprised of thousands of individual processors, each assigned to different processing tasks. As such, the processing capabilities of a crystal are not comparable with any current Earth processing standards. On average, a standard crystal is capable of holding as much as 83PB of data, although most of this will be utilised for control processes to allow the crystal to function fully. Due to inefficiencies with current control systems for crystal technology, the actual usable values of a crystal are often much lower than the theoretical maximums expressed above. With the proper equipment and training, personnel are able to read stored data and recent process commands that have been imprinted into a crystal. ---- Uses The most common use of crystal technology is in systems that require rapid data processing and power management. This is usually in spacecraft, data processing, weapon, and transportation systems. ---- Back to Technological database Category:Technology Category:Earth Tech Category:Goa'uld